CB Terrell Thomas was given more latitude in practice today and is getting closer to his target of making it back to the NFL. He even matched up with Victor Cruz and intercepted an Eli Manning pass.

“He seems to be doing welL,” said Coughlin. “He’s getting more confidence and feeling better about himself. I think he’s doing better.”

Coughlin continues to praise CB Prince Amukamara, who is emerging into a fine pro for the Giants…

“I think he’s much more in tune with what we want him to do. He feels better, he’s growing in confidence, he’s made a lot of plays here in the preseason. I’m expecting him to have a real good year.”

The coach was asked if he was anxious about Justin Pugh getting his first taste of the NFL this Sunday night vs the Colts…

“He’s working just like the rest of them. He’s practicing, being corrected. He’s athletic. He does a lot of good things. I’m anxious to see him play against someone else and then evaluate how he does. He’s had a week where he’s played primarily on the left side, he’s played on the right side, he’s played on the left side. He’s able to handle all of that and we look forward to seeing him play, period.”

DT Marvin Austin is on the roster bubble right now and has looked impressive in camp this summer. Coughlin was asked his impression of Austin…

“He’s a defensive tackle that, really, we need to see him in the fashion that we anticipated when we drafted him. He’s done well this camp rushing the passer and we really would like to see him do a good job against the run.”

The linebackers in camp are all closely matched. Coughlin responded to a suggestion that he might go with a “linebacker by committee” approach:

“If it works out to where we can clearly identify something they do in a superior fashion to the others, be it a specific situation, or overall, I’d be ok with it. They’re all going to have a lot of work. They’re all special teamers, they’re playing in a lot of different capacities. Whether it works out that way or whether we combination it, we’ll have to see.”